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Communications TeamCounty HallGuildhall RoadNorthamptonNN1 1AY

Cabinet to consider prevention strategy

04/05/2012

The results of a huge project aimed at transforming prevention services in Northamptonshire are set to be considered at a Northamptonshire County Council cabinet meeting (8th May)

If agreed by cabinet, the new prevention and demand management strategy will see almost £22.5 million allocated to areas across Northamptonshire and represents a radical change in the way prevention services are delivered in the county.

The new strategy will address the challenges of increasing demands on services and reductions in government funding. By reducing duplication and inefficiency and also finding ways to help more people help themselves so that they ultimately become less reliant on more specialist services, the council will save £15 million over the next four years.

It has been developed over the past ten months and has been subject to extensive research and consultation to ensure local communities and organisations had an opportunity to be involved in the process.

As part of the strategy a new fair and equitable funding model has been developed to help plan where resources should be focused.

The funding model then informs an area-based approach to commissioning services which will see a lead partner procured for each area.

They will work in partnership with the county council to manage the demand locally, concentrating support on those people who are likely to escalate into higher cost, specialist services.

Cabinet member for customer and community services Councillor Heather Smith said: “This is a huge project and I would like to thank the many people and organisations who have taken part in the consultations, and shared their views to help us develop this important strategy.

“With the county’s population increasing and the cost of services to support people also going up, we need to find better ways to provide prevention services to reduce the number people ultimately needing specialist – and usually more expensive – services.

“It’s clear that prevention is better than cure and the strategy being proposed will see prevention services commissioned in each area to meet local demand that are more efficient, more effective and improve people’s quality of life. “